Period-close gate agent
Checks whether the books are ready to close, including rules your company has written itself, before a period can be locked.
Validated with each clientWhat does Period-close gate replace? The work of a senior accountant: confirm close-readiness before locking a period. Checks whether the books are ready to close, including rules your company has written itself, before a period can be locked.
Shows why
It shows its reasons and how sure it is on every draft. When it is not sure, it only brings the item to your attention.
Waits for you
Nothing is filed, paid or posted until a person approves it.
Gets reviewed
Every approval and correction is recorded, so you can see how it performs on your own books.
A day with the Period-close gate agent
A finance manager at a mid-sized company wants to close September without a surprise from the auditor in November. This is the check that stands in front of the lock.
- The accounts team finishes the month's work. Journals are posted, bank statements reconciled, depreciation run.
- The finance manager chooses "Evaluate gates (pre-close)". Kinnow runs twelve checks on that month for that company: the trial balance ties, no draft or pending journals, banks reconciled, receivables and payables tie to the customer and supplier balances, group balances net to zero, stock valuation posted, GST and TDS status, depreciation, and profit against budget.
- It shows a result. "Gates passed", "Hard failed" and "Can close: Yes or No". Seven checks must pass. Five are softer and can be passed with a written reason against each.
- Your own close rules run too. If your company has written a rule for closing (for example, all overdue supplier payments cleared), the close is blocked or sent for approval until it is met.
- The finance manager closes the period. They confirm in a dialog; the reasons for any passed soft checks are recorded on the month. After this, no further postings go into that month.
- Lock, or reopen with a reason. Locking is final and the month cannot be reopened from the screen. Until then, reopening needs controller-level access and a written reason. Abandoning the pre-close puts the month back to open.
See your own month through the twelve checks. Send us last month's trial balance.
What it reads and what it hands back
| What it reads | What it hands back | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| The month's journals, bank reconciliation status, customer and supplier balances, group balances, stock valuation, depreciation | Pass or fail for each of the twelve checks, with the reason | The Period Close screen: the checklist and the audit trail |
| Flags set by Comply for GSTR-1, GSTR-3B and the TDS 26Q match | Soft checks, which can be passed with a reason | The same checklist |
| Your own close rules, if you have written any | A block, or a request for approval | The close dialog |
| Profit against budget, and your commentary | A variance check; commentary is needed if you pass it | The close dialog |
What a person decides
You approve
- Closing the period, by a finance administrator
- Each soft check that is passed, with a written reason
- Reopening, by a controller, with a reason on record
You set
- Your own close rules and who approves when one applies
- Who holds the finance administrator and controller roles
It never does
- Nothing is filed, paid or posted without a person.
- Let a month close while any of the seven must-pass checks fails
- Hide an override: reasons stay in the audit trail
Ask Kinnow about this
Questions a finance head might type. Ask Kinnow shows its source and cost before it runs.
- "Can we close September?" The latest check result and what is blocking it.
- "Which checks did we pass with a reason last quarter?" The overridden checks, with the reasons and who gave them.
- "Who reopened a month this year, and why?" Reopen events with the reason.
- "Which banks are not reconciled to month end?" Accounts behind on reconciliation.
Ask us to show your last month through the twelve checks.
Works with
The Period-close gate belongs to the Account application; the GST and TDS flags come from Comply. Related: Close Checklist, Bank Reconciler, Double-entry validator, the close policy capability, and the glossary page on period close.
Close Checklist
Runs the twelve period-close checks, helps clear the ones holding up the close and drafts the commentary on variances. A person confirms the close.
AccountBank Reconciler
Matches bank lines to receipts ahead of time and shows why it matched each one. Lines it is unsure about come up as suggestions only and are never committed on their own.
AccountAI Invoice Extractor
Reads the text of a supplier invoice and fills in the bill for you, checking that the amounts add up before anything is saved.
AccountDouble-entry validator
Stops any journal entry that does not balance, or that uses a ledger that is not valid, before it can be posted.
Questions
What does the Period-close gate agent do?
Checks whether the books are ready to close, including rules your company has written itself, before a period can be locked.
Can I add my own rules to the close check?
Yes. A rule written by your company can block the close or send it for approval. It sits alongside the twelve built-in checks and does not replace them.
Does Period-close gate get better with use?
Kinnow measures it rather than assuming it. Each time you approve or reject, the result is recorded against how sure the agent said it was, so you can see on your own books whether its confidence can be trusted. Your corrections are kept as feedback.
How is it paid for?
It is part of your agent pack. There are no per-user seats.
Which checks must pass, and which can be passed with a reason?
Seven must pass: trial balance ties, no draft or pending journals, banks reconciled, receivables tie, payables tie, group balances net to zero, and stock valuation posted. Five can be passed with a written reason: GSTR-1 prepared, GSTR-3B self-assessed, TDS matched to the 26Q preview, depreciation done, and profit against budget.
Who can close, lock or reopen a month?
A finance administrator closes. Reopening needs controller-level access and a reason. Locking is final from the screen.
Tell Kinnow what slows you down.
Answer three questions. Get the applications, the agents and a two-week plan for your business.